Repeating similar shapes to create a bigger image will always make the final sketch look more complicated than it is. The 3 small circles in each one just bring them alive somehow too.

The simple shapes around the top of the drawing are made much more interesting with a little simple embellishment, The thicker line slightly above the base and to the left of each section help create a little depth in the shape. However, keeping things simple has many advantages. It shows that realism really isn’t important within a doodle. You can learn how to draw the perfect mandala here. In the same way as the plant doodle above, this mandala drawing would make a wonderful meditation piece.

The mandala above is a wonderful example of something I love to do. A simple drawing on a label can immediately tell you what is inside a sealed box more easily than words. Simple doodles and drawings can be useful too. There are some fantastic drawing exercises for beginners here. Drawing a cup, pencil, or cloud in such a simple way can make you smile as much as anything you could draw.

Doodles by essence are simplified representations not photo-realistic drawings. Don’t get caught up with realism, it really isn’t necessary. You can keep the pages interesting by introducing some colour too. It may be that you want to record memories of a particular day or maybe you need ideas for a project. Focussing On A Single SubjectĬollect together as many ideas on a single subject as you can. Draw one more feather and that immediately doubles to 16 designs. With 2 different arrows, 2 different feather designs and 2 ways to embellish them all of a sudden you have 8 different arrows to choose from. Draw a few similar basic arrow shapes, and then add different embellishments to each. The arrows in the image above are a great example of experimenting with small details. Why not experiment with the direction of italic lines? Maybe you could add some spirals to the ends of the lines? Using thicker lines in some areas and simple shading or cross-hatching can really add depth and extra interest. Try drawing a set of numbers and add your own embellishments. On the right, the numbers have been made special by simply adding a few extra lines. The arrows, notes and labels could all be used in many ways. Looking at the image below, you will see 2 pages that might be found in any bullet journal.

Easy doodles